Car-coupling.



No. 888,431. PATENTED MAY 19, 1908. 1. SPARKS.

GAR COUPLING.

APPLIOATIO! mum AUG. 28. 1907.

2 SHEETSSHEET l.

3 [NI/ENTOR i .ZXfi/aar/ S No. 888,431. PATENTED MAY 19, 1908.

. I. SPARKS.

UAR GOUELING.

APPLIGATIO I L D .1 0

N I AUG 28 0 7 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 flzig, 1-2

[NVENTOR l. S]? (yr/r45 UNITED STATES PATENT ori rcn.

ISRAEL SPARKS, OF LA FAYETTIE, INDIANA.

. CAR-COUPLING.

Original application filed March 30, 1907, Serial Specification of Letters Patent Serial No. 390,495.

latented May 19, 1908.

Divided and this application filed August 28, 1907.

which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to new and. useful improvements in car couplers, and more particularly to that class known as automatic couplers using knuckles for securing the coupling heads together and is a division of myiorrner application filed March doth, 1907, Ser. No. 365465, and my object is to provide a'locking device for holding the knuckles in ler.

their coupled position and a further object is to provide means for manually operating said locking device.

Other objects and advantages will be hereinafter referred to and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accom anyin drawings which are made a partof this app ication, Figure 1, is a detail, longitudinal sectional view through a coupler showing my improved attachment Fig. 2, 1s a secoperatively secured thereto. tional view as seen on line 22 Fig. 1. Fig. 3, is a to planview of the locking mechanism emp oyed in connection with the coup- F i 4, is a horizontal, sectional view as seen on ine'4-l, Fig. J, and Fig. 5, IS a sectional view as seen on line 5 5 Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings in which similar reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, 1 indicates the body of a car which may be of the usual or any preferred construction, and either a freight car or assenger coach.

Secured in the usua. manner to the end of the car body is a draw-bar .2, one end of which extends beyond the car body and is provided with a head 3, said head being of the usual or well known form of automatic coupler and provided with a knuckle 4, which is pivotally secured in a cavity 5 in the head 3. The knucklc d is secured in the cavity 5 by means of a pivot pin 6 which extends through the upper and lower walls of the head and through'thc knuckle 4, that portion of the knuckle-in the cavity 5 being reduced in thickness to form an arm 7 which swings from side to side of the cavity when the knuckle is being swung into its open or closed position.

In order to hold the knuckle in its closed position a locking dog 8 is pivotally mounted in a bore 9 in the draw-bar 2 and in the rear of the knuckle 4, said dog being pivotally mounted in the bore by means of a bolt 10 which passes through the walls of the drawbar and through an opening in the rear end of the locking dog. The forward end of the locking dog is provided with a latch 11 which is so located as to extend into the path of the arm 7, and when the knuckle is in its closed position the latch descends into the ath of and engages one edge of the arm so t rat the knuckle will be positively held against rotation on the pivot )lll 6.

"When it is desired to release the coupg lrs and allow the knuckles to readily separate, the locking dog 8 is swung on the bolt 10 and the latch end thereof elevated .a suflicient distance to allow the arm 7 to freely swing below the latch, said arm being of sufficient breadth to support the locking dog in its elevated position when the knuckle is partially or entirely open and thereby prevent thelocking dog from descending excepting when the knuckle is entirely closed.

The locking dog 8 is adapted to be manuallyoperated to raise the latch out of engagement with the arm 7 and to this end a shaft 12 is provided which is rotatably mounted.

in suitable brackets 13 suspended from the car body 1, said shaft extending beyond the brackets and having levers 14 thereon, while the central portion of the shaft has fixedly secured thereto a bar 15 to the free end of which is pivotally secured a pitniau 16, the upper end of the pitman extending through an opening in the lower face of the bar and having at its extrcmeupper end a trun ion 17 which in turn enters a slot 18 in one face and at the lower edge of the locking dog 8, said locking dog being provided at this point with a semi-circular pro'ection 19 in which the slot 18 is formed so t at the locking dog will not be in any manner weakened by providing the slot.

l/Vhen the couplers are in their locked position the arm 7 directs lateral pressure against the latch 11, and in order to thoroughly brace the latched end of the locking dog and prevent the same from becoming bent or broken a channel 20 is formed in the 7 its lowered position, while the upper wall of lower face of the bore 9 in which the lower knuckle so that the cars may be umwoupled,

edge of the latch 11 rests when the latch is in the bore 9 is provided with a simi ar channel 2,1 to receive an extension 22 at the up er edge of the latch 11, so that when the late 1 is in its elevated position the extension 22 will enter the channel 21 and prevent lateral movement of the latch. v

In order to readily introduce the trunnion 17 into the slot 18 the rear wall 23 of said slot curved inwardly from the open end thereof, thereby allowing the trunnion 17 to swing into or out 'of the slot when the pitinan 16 is rotated, and in introducing the )itinan into cooperative relation with the locliing dog the pitman is turned until the trunnion is at right angles to the position shown in l igs 1 and 2' and in registration with the longitu-. dinally dis )osed opening 24 in the draw-bar 2, when the pitman is elevated upwardly until the trunnion is inregistration with the slot 18, then the' pitman is again rotated and the trunnion entered in the slot 18, when by securing the lower end of the pitman-to the bar 15 the trunnion will be firmly held in the slot 18. t

In operating the device to release the an upward pull ol' the lovers 1-1 will partially rotate the shalt l2 and'clmu-ite the free end of the bar If), this operation causing the pit-" man 16 to move the locking dog upwardly until the latch l I is in a plane above the arm 5 '7, when the hn'ut-ldc thus released may swing on its pivot pinand as soon as the knuckle has started to open, the arm 7 passes below the latch which will hold the latch in its ole-- vated position as long as the hnut-ldc is opt-n, in which event the lever may be released as soon as the knuckle starts to open. When two of the cars are directed together the knuckles will be rotated on their pivot 7 )ins until the arms have been removed l'rom lie-low the latches, whereupon the weight of the locking dog, togctheravith the lovers lor operating the saint, will cause the locking dog to descend'by gravity and rest in the ath of and engage one edge of the arm 7, the ower edge of the latch resting in the channel in the lower wall of the bore 9.

It will thus be seen that l'have provided coupler having a bore therein, a knuckle plvota ly secured to the coupler, and an inwz'u'dly extending arm inuckle; of a locking dog, one end 01 pivotally secured 111 said bore, a

on said wluch is latch on the free end of said locking dog to extend in the path of said arm and engage one edge thereof when the knuckle is closed, the lower wall of said bore having a channel therein to receive the lower edge of the latch, a curved rojection on the lower edge ol said locking tog, said projection having a slot therein the rear wall of which is curved, a pitmau extending upwardly through an opening in the bottom of the ('ou'plor, a trunnion at th upper end of the pitman adapted to enter sad slot and secure the pitman to the locking dog, a shalt rotatably mounted below the coupler, a bar 'lixod to said shaft and pivotally secured to the lower end of the pilman and lovers at each end of said shalt whorl-by the shaft may licmanually rotatedto more the pilman vertically and elevate the lot-hing dog, whereby the knuckle will be released I In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this sporiliration in the presence ol' 1 two subscribing wit nosst-s.

lSllAlCli SPARKS.

Wit nosses: I

ltitn'lll U. llRUUIUGNBROUUH, PEARL 'liMMoNs. 

